Every digital marketer raves about the magic of search engine optimization, but voice search optimization is another game-changer in the digital marketing world that deserves your attention. 

According to a report from Hitwise, 60 percent of the US’s online searches are made from mobile devices. Their report mentions that mobile searches play a significant role in answering the consumers’ questions better because of convenience, especially for location-based queries.  

More people own smartphones nowadays, and sooner or later, more people will realize how convenient voice search is to find the information they need. They no longer need to type their inquiries. They can use this function when commuting to work, when out with friends, when staying at home, and even when showering. 

Optimizing Your Website for Voice Search

The way people search with phones is different from how they search using a desktop. With the growing number of searches on phones, your website should be ready to meet this increasing demand. After optimizing your website for SEO, do not forget to optimize it for voice search, too.

Here are some tips on how to do that: 

  • Always be conversational

When people type on Google, they often don’t mind their word choices because Google will fill in the rest of the words. Text searches are always based on specific keywords. When doing text-based searches, users often omit unnecessary words. 

For example, if you are looking for an affordable restaurant in New York, you’d only use three to four keywords like “cheap restaurant New York” or “New York restaurant.” Things are different when we are speaking. If you’re optimizing your website for voice search, you need to be more conversational. Sometimes, the three to four key words become a complete phrase or question.

  • Use more question phrases 

Here are the key things to remember about voice searches: They are action-oriented and use a lot of question phrases. Given this fact, SEO’s long-tail keywords, which are often in phrasal format, won’t be of much help when optimizing your site for voice search. Always opt for the question format. Start with “who, what, where, how, and why.”

  • Optimize your business and local listing

People are always on the move, and a quick search on the phone helps them find what they need. A person looking for a hair salon might make a voice query: “Where can I get a haircut near me?” 

For that type of query, Google will return all kinds of information such as local hair salons, ratings, distance, closing time, and contact number. For people to find your business via voice search on Google, you need to make sure your business is optimized for a business listing and provides all these details. 

  • Make your site mobile friendly

An unresponsive site will make your web page appear messy, difficult to navigate, and slow to load. Most people forget this step, thinking that all websites will automatically be mobile-friendly. However, that is not always the case. 

Since most voice searches happen on phones, you need to ensure that your web pages will properly function on these mobile devices as well. 

Conclusion

Voice search optimization isn’t as overwhelming as it seems. You only need to focus on and use question phrases, make your site mobile responsive, and list your business on Google My Business. Start with those steps, and you’ll be off to a good start. 

If you want your website to show up on Google voice search, sign up to our Voice SEO Foundations service. We offer different packages to meet your business’ SEO needs, whether for traditional SEO, local SEO, and the future of search, voice SEO.